College guides both print and online, some with a long history and some with a more recent pedigree, continue to review Hope favorably.

Hope continues to be listed among the best liberal arts colleges in the nation in the annual rankings compiled by "U.S. News & World Report," at 100th out of the 248 institutions that are considered national liberal arts colleges. Hope ranks in the top 20 among all national liberal arts colleges for "Best Undergraduate Teaching," continues to be included among the 39 institutions of all types and one of only eight national liberal arts colleges that the publication recognizes for providing outstanding undergraduate research/creative project opportunities, and is one of the 76 national liberal arts colleges in a ranking of "A-Plus Schools for B Students."

The “Fiske Guide to Colleges,” now in its 30th edition, continues to include Hope as one of only about 300 colleges and universities (from among more than 2,200 four-year institutions nationwide) that it highlights as “the best and most interesting institutions in the nation—the ones that students most want to know about.” The guide does not rank the institutions it selects, but instead includes statistical information for each--such as enrollment, test-score ranges and graduation rate--and multi-paragraph profiles that discuss qualities such as the academic and social environments.

The “Fiske Guide” profiles are based on questionnaires sent to administrators and students at the institutions selected for inclusion. The 2014 guide notes that “Hope’s “academic and athletic programs continue to grow and prosper, helped out by an array of new facilities.” One of the students quoted observed that “The academic programs, particularly the research and collaborative opportunities, far surpass those of Hope’s rivals,” while another noted that “Hope students are unique in their desire to incorporate faith into learning,” and a third commented that students “tend to be very involved in academics, extracurriculars, athletics, and social events.”

The college's dance and writing programs were each selected as among the best in the nation and are profiled in the new, fourth edition of the book "Creative Colleges: A Guide for Student Actors, Artists, Dancers, Musicians and Writers," which is aimed at college-bound creative students and designed to give them the information and resources necessary to pick the right program. Author Elaina Loveland meticulously researched programs from across the country and ultimately selected more than 250 art, drama, dance, music and creative writing programs in arts conservatories and at liberal arts colleges and universities to recommend to potential students.

"Kiplinger's Personal Finance" has included Hope on its list of the country's best values in private colleges. Kiplinger's annual list ranks 100 private universities and 100 liberal arts colleges that provide high-quality academics at a reasonable cost, exemplifying attributes including small class sizes, a good freshman retention rate and a high four-year graduation rate. Hope ranked 68th on the list of liberal arts schools. The full list is available online at www.kiplinger.com/links/college[3].

Affordable Colleges Online included Hope on its list of the top 30 “High ROI Colleges” in Michigan. The listing of colleges and universities identifies institutions that provide the top return on investment, showing “consistent payoffs in the workplace” based on data from PayScale.com, Integrated Post-Secondary Education Data System, the National Center for Education Statistics and the Carnegie Foundation. The information is available online at: http://www.affordablecollegesonline.org/online-colleges/michigan/[4]

Hope is one of 650 institutions included in the “America’s Top Colleges” guide published by “Forbes Magazine.” Hope is 222nd in the “Forbes” listing, which bases its rankings on five general categories: how satisfied students are with their college experience; graduates’ professional success; student debt; student graduation in four years; and students’ achievement in obtaining nationally competitive awards such as Goldwater scholarships, National Science Foundation fellowships and Fulbright awards, or going on to earn a doctorate. More information, including the rankings, can be found online at: http://www.forbes.com/top-colleges/[5]

Hope is among the slightly more than 330 colleges and universities highlighted in the 2014, 40th, edition of “The Insider’s Guide to the Colleges,” compiled and edited by the staff of the “Yale Daily News.” The colleges and universities are not ranked but instead are listed alphabetically by state. In addition to providing enrollment information, test-score ranges and other statistical data, the guide features insights from interviews with students and narrative profiles of each of the institutions.

The guide notes that “Whether taking part in a Bible study, taking part in a class discussion, or participating in one of Hope College’s many clubs, students at Hope stay busy. The college’s open, caring spirit makes students feel at home, while the school’s dedicated professors ensure that they meet their academic goals.”

Hope is also one of the best colleges in the Midwest according to the nationally known education services company, The Princeton Review. The college is one of 155 institutions that The Princeton Review recommends in the “Best in the Midwest” section of its website feature, “2014 Best Colleges: Region by Region,” posted on Monday, Aug. 5, at http://www.princetonreview.com/best-regional-colleges.aspx. [6] For the project, The Princeton Review asks students attending the schools to rate their own schools on several issues, from the accessibility of their professors to the quality of their science lab facilities, and answer questions about themselves, their fellow students and their campus life. The institutions are also rated in six categories by The Princeton Review: academics, admissions selectivity, financial aid, fire safety, quality of life and green.